Just over a decade ago, Acura’s lineup included the NSX and Integra—both among the most rewarding cars in their segments and two fairly iconic pieces of machinery. Since then, Honda’s luxury brand has introduced a line of funky-faced, tweener-sized cars that James Spader talks up in TV ads. Away from the sound booth where Spader records his solicited praise, however, the reality is that Acura’s lineup isn’t quite what it used to be.

But things might be looking up. Acura will soon bring us a new NSX; it currently offers one of the few sporty wagons in our market; and it has delivered a new entry-level sedan, the ILX. We knew the latter wouldn’t be another Integra, but one ILX in particular—the one that shares the Civic Si’s 201-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder and six-speed manual—had us interested enough to order an example for a 40,000-mile test.

A Fairly Large Kitchen Sink, but No Drain

A recap of the ILX line: Box stock, the base model—motivated by a 150-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder tied exclusively to a five-speed automatic—starts at $26,795. A hybrid is available and borrows its engine and electric-motor combo from the Civic hybrid. All ILX models include as standard USB and auxiliary jacks, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, and a power sunroof.

Cars like ours, with the Civic Si powertrain, come one way, combining the above kit with the Premium package, which adds an eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front sport seats, leather upholstery, a seven-speaker audio system with satellite radio, a rearview camera, 17-inch aluminum wheels, fog lamps, and xenon HID headlights. The 2.4 is the only ILX that’s available with a manual, which should explain by itself our choice of long-term trim. Our ILX is therefore both as barebones and as loaded as it can be and stickered at $30,095.

You might notice one item conspicuously absent from our otherwise well-equipped car: a navigation system. Nav is unavailable with the hottest engine, being restricted to the 2.0-liter and hybrid models’ Technology package, which also includes a fancy stereo, a GPS-enabled climate-control function that accounts for the location of the sun (!), and voice controls.

At least time spent lost is spent in comfortable and supportive front seats, and the six-speed manual’s short throws and the 2.4-liter’s enthusiasm to zing through its power band—typical Honda, in other words—have been universally praised. Sprints to 60 mph pass in 6.4 seconds, the quarter-mile is reached in 15.0 seconds at 95 mph, and the ILX tops out at an electronically limited 138 mph.

Hoping Something Grows on Us

We have logged several demerits. The ILX lags behind its powertrain partner, the Si, on the skidpad, achieving 0.81 g compared with the Si’s 0.88, and several of our tribe have bemoaned the soft tires and the squishy suspension on this sportiest of ILXs. The steering is very light and loads and unloads unpredictably as you dial in lock, and quick requests for directional changes can send the rear end into a corkscrewing motion. (These and other dynamic quirks were noted in our test of a different 2.4-liter ILX, too.)

Rear riders have voiced complaints about the roominess of their accommodations. Our plain-jane infotainment setup is like those in most current Acuras and Hondas in that it largely feels outdated, with one logbook scribbler being “amazed at how well the center screen renders album art from an iPod but otherwise suffers from an interface that looks and acts 10 years old.” After a day spent baking in Michigan’s hot summer sun, the cabin starts to smell like someone is storing leftovers under the driver’s seat. Not pleasant.

Finally, a semiaggressive exhaust note is joined by a tiresome buzziness from underhood during top-gear 80-mph cruises, at which point the engine is spinning at 3500 or so rpm. The sound isn’t as refined as it ought to be in this segment; luxury—entry-level, sporty, or otherwise—doesn’t sound like a Civic Si. Perhaps this has caused some short-shifting among our usually redline-happy drivers, as the ILX has returned 27 mpg combined so far, four below the 31-mpg EPA highway rating.

The preeminent question concerning the ILX 2.4 is whether it can successfully blend Civic Si fun with a near-luxury experience. Thus far, we’d say, “Not quite,” but the car has 38,000 miles to change our minds.

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